Veillantif (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

), Vielantiu (

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

) is the name of Roland the paladin's trustworthy and swift wikt:steed#Noun, steed in the stories derived from the ''chanson de geste, chansons de geste''. The French name comes from an expression meaning "vigilant". ''Veillantif'' is first mentioned in ''

The Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French li ...

'' (v. 2032; laisse 151). Veillantif was given various origins. In the 12th century ''chanson de geste'' '' Aspremont'', the horse is said to have formerly been in the possession of King

Agolant Agolant or Agolante is a fictional character in Medieval and Renaissance romantic epics dealing with the Matter of France, including ''Orlando innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. He is a Saracen king f ...

's son Aumon. After Aumon's defeat, the horse (and his sword

Durendal Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. The sword is famous for its hardness and sharpness. Sources including '' La Chanson de Rola ...

) was given to Roland.

Andrea da Barberino Andrea Mangiabotti,Geneviève Hasenohr and Michel Zink, eds. ''Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: Le Moyen Âge''. Collection: La Pochothèque (Paris: Fayard, 1992. ), pp. 62–63. called Andrea da Barberino ( 1370–1431''The Cambridge History ...

's (1370–1431) Italian prose adaptation ''L'Aspramonte'' stated that the horse was called Briadoro when it belonged to Almonte (Aumon), but renamed Vegliantino after being conquered by Orlandino ("little Roland").: notes to Orlando.

Luigi Pulci Luigi Pulci (; 15 August 1432 – 11 November 1484) was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his '' Morgante'', an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventu ...

's (1432–1484) ''

Morgante ''Morgante'' (sometimes also called , the name given to the complete 28-canto, 30,080-line edition published in 1483See Lèbano's introduction to the Tusiani translation, p. xxii.) is an Italian romantic epic by Luigi Pulci which appeared in ...

'' refers to the horse as Vegliantino whereas

Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem ''Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440, at or near, Scandiano (today's province of Reggio Emilia); the son of G ...

's (1440–1494) ''

Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English language, English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian language, Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the "I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matte ...

'' and

Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (, ; ; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic '' Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describ ...

's (1474–1533) ''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form ...

'' used "Brigliadoro", Italian for "bridle of gold".

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography ;texts *; volum
2
(1921). *Brault, Gerard J., ed. (1978), ''The Song of Roland: An Analytical Edition'', Pennsylvania State University. * * ;translations * * Part one (cantos 1-23) ; part two (cantos 24-46) . * * Combarieu du Grès, Micheline de, and Subrenat, Jean, ed., (1983), ''Les Quatre Fils Aymon'', Paris: Gallimard, . {{Orlando Furioso Characters in The Song of Roland Fictional characters introduced in the 11th century Legendary horses

See also

Explanatory notes

References